Air conditioner



Feb. 17, 1942. J. E. MYERS AIR CONDITIONER Filed Oct. 26, 1940 2Sheets-Sheet l ATTO Feb. 17, 1942.l .1. E. MYERS 2,273,587, ARl(.ONDITIONER Filled oct. 26, 1940 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented Feb. 17,1942 J amesE. Myers', Milwaukee, Wis., assigner. of one-` half toWilliam F. Simonsen, Milwaukee,.Wis.

Applicationoctoberz, 194.0, seria-1v No.f 362,934.- Y

(el. `sia-109) 5 claims.

My present invention relates in general to: improvements in the art ofairconditioning, and relates more specifically to `improvements in theconstruction and operation of apparatus for humidifying the air in a hot air heatingsystem or the like.

`A n object of the invention. is to provide an improved air conditioningassemblage which is` simple and compact in construction and highlyefficient in use. f

Many devices andsystems for effectingv air conditioning yin houses andother buildings have recently been proposed and used with varyingdegrees of success, and while some of these systems are quitesatisfactory` in operation, they are also relatively complicated andexpensive to install and operate. It is frequently desirable withsystems of this kind lto be able to embody the same` in heating plants.which have already been installed and in use, and rsuch embodiment.

should be readily possible without `damaging or, rebuilding the existinginstallations. In many cases, it is also desirable to be able to varythe degree of humidication to, which one room of a house is subjected,independentlyof others, and

this cannot be readily accomplished with systems l wherein the entireair conditioning isv effected at a common zone located near the heater.`The prior systems. besides being too costly toinstall, are notsufficiently flexible in use, and cannot be conveniently embodied inexisting heating systems of relatively standard design.

It is therefore a more vspecific lobject of my present invention toprovide. an. improved humidifying unit adapted to be quickly and eiecy,

tively` installed within thestandard air box of.

an ordinary hot air heating system, either beforer opposite sides andthrough the humidifier.

Y Still another specific object of my invention` ris to provide asimpleAv andcompact humidifier unit of relatively'large capacity, andimproved means for controlling the oper-ation ofthe unit..

An additional specific Aobject` of the invention is to provide animproved moisture supply unit for heated air, or the like, which can bereadily inspected and cleaned, and which may be removably suspendedwithin the air duct.

Another additional specific object of this invention isto provide aVdurable air humidifying assemblage which can be. made to iit air ductsof various sizes and shapes and which can moreover be: manufactured andsold at moderate cost.

These andy other' objects and advantages of the inventionwill beapparent from the following detailed descriptionl A` clear conceptionvof the sever-al features constituting my present', improvement, and ofthe mode of"` constructing and utilizing humidifying units built inaccordance` with the invention, may be hadA by referring` to thedrawings accompanying and. forming a part of` this specification whereinlike reference characters designate the same or similar' parts in thevarious views.

Fig.y 1L isf aV part sectional front view of one of the improvedhumidifying` units installed in a standard hot air box in back of aremovable grille register, portions of -thelatter having been brokenaway; Y

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section through the assemblage of Fig. 1,showing the humiditying unit adjustably mounted in the air box, and thesection being taken on the line 22;

Fig. 3l isafragmentary vertical sectionthrough the lower portionof` aiixedly supported modified;v humidifying` unit, provided with modifiedmeansV for obtaining variableV flow yof air with respect to the,unit,-and. also showing a modification in the construction of the unititself;

Fig. 4 is a, fragmentary section through a modified; removal. permittingsuspension device for the, humidifying unit;

Fig. 5 isa side View of the modified suspension means of Fig. 4;r andFig.A 6 is4 adiagrammatic, front view of a portion. of one of theimproved units, showing a modified' arrangement ofthe screen andundulations. y i

Whilev the. invention. isshown and described herein, as being,specifically embodied in a humidifying lunitespeciallyadapted forapplication to a standard hot air. heating system box and registerassembly, itis not the desire or intentionr to thereby unnecessarilyrestrict the Ascope or utility of the improvement.

heating systemto which the improved humidifying unit is applicable,ordinarily comprises al numberV oi similar hot-air boxes 9 each having alower inlet opening I and a front outlet opening II; a register frame I2secured to each box 9 around the outlet opening I I, and ordinarilycoacting with the floor I3 and with the adjacent wall I4 of a building;a grille I5 detachably secured to the frame I2 by means of fasteners I6;and a hot air supply conduit or duct I'I communicating with the lowerinlet opening I0 of each of the boxes 9 between the building studdingI8. 'There may be one or more of these hot air box and registerassemblages in each of the several rooms of a building, .and all ofthese devices may be supplied with heated air from a common furnace orother heating source. The hot air boxes '9, frames I2, grilles I5, andducts I'I are of relatively standard sheet metalr construction, and mayassume Various shapes and designs.

The improved humidifying unit specifically illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2,comprises in `general two oppositely corrugated or undulated screensections I9, 20 secured to eachother as by solder 2|; opposite sideplates or members 22 to which the opposite ends of the screens I9,v 20are rmly attached; a top bar 23 rigidly uniting the side members 22; anupper V-shaped trough 24 coacting with the upper edges of the screensections I9, 28 and having a series of bottom perforations 25 normallycovered by a porous liner 26 of asbestos or the like; an imperforateklower U-shaped trough 2I spanning theside members 22 below the loweredges of the screen sections I9, 20; an adjustable liquid supplyvalv'e28 and connection 29 for feeding liquid through the bar 23 into theupper trough 24; and a liquid drain tting 39 and flexible connection 3|for discharging excess liquid from the lower trough 21.

The humidifying screens I 9, 2U may be corrugated with angularserrations 32 as shown in` Fig. 2, or with curved undulationsv 33 kasillustrated in Fig. 3; and the corrugations or undulations may extendhorizontally across the unit as in Fig. 1, or they may be ofherring-bone shape 34 as illustrated in thediagram of Fig. 6. Ratherfine square mesh metallic wire screening is preferably utilized inproducing the pervious distributing screens I 9, 20, and the meshforming wire may be disposed either diagonally as in Figs. 1 and 4, orhorizontally as in Fig. 6.

The sheet metal frame comprising the side members 22, top bar 23, andlower trough 2'I of each humidifying unit, may be formed of varioussizes and shapes adapted to approximately nt Within and between the sidewalls of various standard hot air boxes; and these frames shouldpreferably be of such dimensions that they may be inserted and removedthrough the central openings in the register frames I2 when the grillesI5 are removed therefrom, and may be secured to or suspended kfrom theside walls of the air boxes 9 in various ways.

As shown in Figs. l and 2, the side members 22 of. the air conditioningunitare swingably suspended at their upper ends by means of specialscrews 35 which are driven through the inner metal wall of the air box9, and the lower extremities of these members 22 are provided with ears36 having arcuate slots 31 with which other screws 38 coact. When thelower screws 38 are released, the entire humidifying unit may be swungabout the common axes of the upper screws 35, so as to cause more orless air to travel upwardly along the front and rear and through thescreen sections I9, 20. By tightening the lower screws 38, the unit willbe clamped in adjusted position, and the adjustment may be y 42. Thisplate 4I can obviously be swingably ad- .lusted about the common axis ofthe lower fastening screws 42 so as to cause any desired proportions ofthe warmair stream entering the inlet opening I0, to flow either infront of the screen sections I9, 20, or in back of these sections andthrough the same.

Because the improved humidifying unit is readily accessible upon removalof the register grille I5, it is possible to utilize an ordinary vacuumcleaner to remove accumulated dust from the screens I9, 20, withoutnecessarily disturbing the mounting of the air conditioning unit itself.However, the improved units may also be detachably suspended as shown inFigs. 4 and 5, by means of rivets 43 secured to the upper ends of theside members 22, and coacting with recessed suspension saddles 44attached in any suitable manner to the opposite side walls of the airbox 9. The lower portions of these removably suspended units may beprovided with one or more removable retaining screws 39; and the valve28 should then be positioned far enough above the bar 23, to permit therivets 43 to be lifted out of the saddles 44when the unit iskbeingremoved and re-inserted. I

The liquid supply valves 28 are accessible for the purpose ofcontrolling the amount of liquid delivered to each humidifying unit, andhence the humidity, by removing the corresponding register grilles I5;and the liquid supply connection 29 for each unit may be a relativelysmall flexible tube of copper or the like communicating with a watersupply. The perforations 25 at the bottom of the. upper V-shaped trough24 may be spaced along this trough so as to insure uniform distributionof the liquid downwardly along screen sections I9, 28, and the poroustrough liner 26 causes the liquid passing through the perforations 25 toassume the form of a thin film owing gradually along the screens andspreading laterallyr in al1 directions. The ilexible excess liquiddischarge tubes 3| which are detachab-ly attached to the fittings 30 ofthe several air conditioning units, may be formed of rubber or the likeso as to permit free adjustment or removal of the units, and may also bedirected into thev basement or other overflow receptacle. Ordinarily, noexcess liquid should reach the lower trough 21, and this trough ismerely provided for safety.

During normal use of the improved humidifying units, and assuming thatthe several units have been properly installed in their respective airboxes 9 and connected to a source of liquid supply, each of the unitsmay be adjusted to produce the desired performance and the controlvalves 28 may be set to supply the requisite quantities of freshliquid.The heated air flowing through the ducts I'I will then flow upwardlyalong both the front and rear` surfaces of the screen sections I 9, 20,and part of the air .will pass through the screens, thereby picking upmoisture in quantities dependent upon the setl ting of the valves 28 andupon the position of the units, or of the distribution plates 4|. If aunit or the plate 4I associated therewith, is inclined forwardly soas tocause more air to flow along the rear thereof and through its screens,the evaporation of moisture will be more' rapid; and likewise, if thevalve 28 is opened to a greater extent, the supply of moisture will beincreased and the evaporation will be hastened up to the point ofsaturation of the air. In this manner, any desired degree ofhumidiiication may be effected at any of the individual registers,within the limits of capacity of each unit -andfto the exclusion of allothers.

The position of each air conditioning unit relathe units themselves, andsuch removal of the Y units can be facilitated by utilizing a suspensionsuch as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. The screen sections l9, 20 may also beconstructed in various ways, and the installation of the units may beeffected by a novice with buta few simple tools.

From the foregoing detailed description it will be apparent that mypresent invention provides a simple, compact and eiificient humidifyingunit which is extremely flexible in use. The improved assemblage may bequickly and conveniently installed in any standard hot air heatingsystem,

whether new or old, and each unit may Obviously be manipulated andadjusted to produce any desired degree of humidication independently ofall other similar units in the heating system. These air conditioningunits may also lbe readily produced in various sizes and installed andoperated at moderate cost, and are highly eicient and eective inperformance.

It should be understood that it is not desired to limit this inventionto the exact details of construction or to the precise mode of use,herein shown and described, for various modifications within the scopeof the claims may occur to persons skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. In combination with an air distribution box having a lower air inletopening andan upper laterally directed air outlet opening, a natairpervious member having its upper end pivotally suspended in the upperportion of said box while its lower end is swingably adjustable acrosssaid inlet opening toward and away from said outlet opening, means fordelivering a lm of liquid across said member, and means for adjustingthe angularity of said Vmember relative to-said outlet opening so as tovary the quantity of air pass- .ing therethrough from said inlet to saidoutlet openings while maintaining the total eifective area of said inletopening constant.

2. In combination with a hot air distribution box having a lowerapproximately rectangular inlet opening and an upper approximatelyrectangular laterally directed outlet opening, a flat air-perviousmember of approximately the same area as said outlet opening movablysuspended within said box so that its lower edge may be adjusted acrosssaid inlet opening toward and away from said outlet opening, means fordelivering a film of liquid by gravity downwardly across said member,and means for adjusting the `position of said member so as to vary thequantity of heated air passing therethrough from said inlet to saidoutlet openings while maintaining the total effective area of said inletopening constant. Y

3. In rcombination with a hot air distribution box having a lowerupwardly directed inlet opening and an upper laterally directed outletopening, a flat air-pervious member of approximately the same area assaid outlet opening suspended in said box for movement toward and awayfrom said outlet opening, means for delivering liquid downwardly acrosssaid member, and means for adjusting the position of said member to varythe quantity of heated air passing therethrough `from said inlet to saidoutlet opening while maintaining the total effective area of said inletopening constant.

4. In combination with an air distribution box having a lower upwardlydirected inlet opening and an upper laterally directed outlet opening, aat air-pervious member detachably pivotally suspended in the upperportion of said box so that its lower edge may be adjusted toward andaway from the lower portion of said outlet opening and across said inletopening without affecting the effective area of the latter, means foradjusting the position of the lower portion of said member about itssuspension pivot, and controllable means for delivering liquiddownwardly across said member.

5. In combination with a hot air distribution box having a lower inletopening and an upper laterally directed outlet opening, a flat liquiddistribution member pivotally suspended in the upper portion of said boxand having its lower edge adjustable toward and away from said outletopening across said inlet opening without diminishing the effective areaof the latter, means for adjusting said member about its suspensionpivot, and means for controllably deliveringfliquid downwardly acrosssaid member.

JAMES E. MYERS.

